According to the United
States Census Bureau, California's milestone happened in the
first half of 2014. The data was officially confirmed by a tally
released in late June.

That tally showed that as of July 1, 2014, about 14.99 million
Latinos were living in California, compared to 14.92 million
white people. More Latinos – 4.9 million – live in Los Angeles
County than in any other US county.

The numbers come as no surprise to demographers, who expected
California to reach the milestone in 2013, or even earlier.
However, slowing birthrates delayed that date.

"This is sort of the official statistical recognition of
something that has been underway for almost an entire
generation," said Roberto Suro, director of the Tomás Rivera
Policy Institute at USC, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

Suro said the trend is “going to accelerate,” adding
that “this is really the beginning of a new phase that will
play out over another generation.”

California follows the lead of New Mexico and Hawaii, neither of
which have a white majority.

Latinos have outnumbered whites in New Mexico since 2003,
currently comprising 47.7 percent of the state’s population.

The majority of Hawaii's residents are Asian (37.7 percent),
compared to a 26.6-percent white population.

But it isn't just
California that has seen a surge in its Latino population – the
entire country's Latino population grew by 1.2 million from 2013
to 2014, reaching a nationwide total of 55.4 million. The boom is
mostly attributable to high birth rates, and partly to
immigration.

The nationwide Latino population is expected to grow from 17.4
percent of the US population to 30 percent by 2060.

Texas is on track to become the next state with a Latino
majority, most likely reaching the milestone by the end of the
decade. The state's Latino population grew by 228,000 between
2013 and 2014.

The booming Latino numbers are also affecting the political
landscape, with the Latino electorate expected to double within a
generation.

The Latino population has already been in the spotlight ahead of
the 2016 presidential election, with presidential candidate
Donald Trump making controversial statements about Mexican
immigrants who come to the US and allegedly commit crimes.

The confirmation of
California's evolving demographics come just one week after
astudyfound
that the US is the world's second-largest Spanish speaking
community, behind Mexico, with more Spanish speakers than
Spain.